Anime Reviews
Death Note
Desu Nōto (デスノート)
the_wolfs_howl's Rating: 8 / 10

Hits: 31394

This page shows only the_wolfs_howl's
rating for this title.

Content Overview
Violence: 5 / 10
Nudity: 3 / 10
Theo Theme: 5 / 10
Neg Them: 4 / 10

the_wolfs_howl's Review
Death Note is a surprisingly engaging, exciting show for one that mostly involves long conversations and the most exciting thing that tends to happen is someone writing names down. Getting to watch the cat-and-mouse game between L and Light is what gives Death Note its interest. The two main characters are also fascinating and truly unique, far from the typical shounen hero and villain. Each has things about him that the viewer can admire, and things to dislike. The plot slows down considerably after a plot twist about three-fourths of the way through the story, and becomes substantially less interesting, but picks up again at the end of the series.

Violence: As suggested by the title, there are often multiple deaths within a single episode. Most of these are heart attacks, but some of the deaths are more violent, and include being hit by cars and trains, suicide, and being killed violently with guns or knives. Light justifies killing hundreds of people in this way, but L and the others on the investigation team do not.

Sexual Content: In the first episode, a woman is being verbally harassed, but it doesn't lead anywhere. There are several instances of female characters wearing revealing clothing or looking at pornography (nothing explicit is shown). At one point, a female character is asked to take off all her clothes (not in a sexually suggestive way), but nothing is shown.

Theological Issues: Light considers himself "the god of the new world," with the right to decree who is worthy of living and dying. This is not necessarily put in a good light; though he is the protagonist, there are enough dissenting voices that viewers are meant to make their own conclusions. Shinigami are a reality in this story, with the power to take human lives. The only afterlife we can see is a bleak, hopeless, boring place, and those who use the Death Note are said to simply cease to exist, rather than going to heaven or hell.

Other: There is some language and alcohol/tobacco use, and many criminal acts are performed - sometimes even by the investigation team. They help to paint a realistic picture of the way the world really is.
Added: July, 2011